Zhongli finished his sentence.
"So this ti, I ordered a bowl of fernted glutinous rice dumplings for you."
"Ha, I kinda saw this coming."
[Shouldn't the protagonist be old enough to drink by now?]
[After traveling so many worlds and sleeping for so long...]
[Probably just miHoYo being cautious about underage drinking, nothing strange here.]
Paimon doesn't drink alcohol or eat fernted glutinous rice dumplings.
Nor does she want to listen to Zhongli's long-winded explanations.
In situations like this, she's sharper than anyone.
First, she grabs a dessert to eat, making it seem like she's not being rude.
Is that really the case? Maybe.
Paimon takes a bite of "Fine Tea, Full Moon."
The tea pastry, filled with salted egg yolk, has a crumbly, delicate texture.
The rich aroma of tea, as if carried from a secluded valley, lingers in the air.
Just one small bite delivers a solid sense of happiness, enough to make one utterly captivated.
Paimon finishes it in three bites.
She licks the crumbs off her lips and fingers, then pretends to casually reach for another.
Lumine stops her with a look. "Paimon?"
"Uh..."
Caught red-handed, Paimon feels a little embarrassed.
Just as she's thinking of an excuse, Mu Yang steps in to save her.
"Does it taste good, Paimon?"
Paimon nods repeatedly. "It's delicious! Even better than the pastries I had in Mondstadt."
Gourt Paimon is now online, critiquing "Fine Tea, Full Moon."
"The outer pastry is infused with tea fragrance, while the salted egg yolk inside is crumbly and delicate—combining these two flavors so skillfully..."
"The person who invented this dessert is a genius! It's just a sha there are so few—why only four in one serving...?"
Lumine sighs. "So you do know there are only four? And you still took another?"
"It's not my fault! It's just too delicious—it tempted my little hands!"
Zhongli tells Paimon, "The inventor of this dessert is closer than you think."
Paimon is shocked. "It was you, Zhongli?! I thought you only knew useless high-society knowledge!"
Zhongli didn't expect Paimon to see him that way.
But first, he corrects her. "It wasn't ."
"Not Zhongli, not , and Lumine doesn't cook..."
She turns to the only person left.
"Mu Yang?!"
Even Lumine didn't expect Mu Yang to be the one who invented the dessert.
Her eyes are full of disbelief.
[Too OP, bro. You're making feel useless.]
[Strong in martial arts, pays the bills, can cook—utterly invincible.]
[For people like this, I can only describe them in two words: husband material.]
[Who's calculating so loudly? It's disturbing my sleep.]
"Fine Tea, Full Moon" was indeed invented by Mu Yang.
Living in the mountains, sotis you just crave sothing sweet.
And Chenyu Vale is a tea-producing region.
So this dessert ca into existence quite naturally.
As for why there are only four in one serving—
Because those three old schers would always fight over them.
No matter if there was one or two left,
They'd sche and bicker until they all ended up in soone's stomach.
Don't be fooled by Yaojun's usual deanor—when it cos to snatching food, she's ruthless.
She almost always ate the most.
The poor, slow-witted one who never won would whine in his ear every day.
Eventually, Mu Yang had no choice but to make either four or eight at a ti.
That way, no one could covet soone else's share—just eat your own.
Thinking of this, Mu Yang's lips curl slightly.
Then, to the shocked Lumine and Paimon, he says:
"Why so surprised? Don't you believe ?"
Paimon quickly waves her hands. "No, no! It's just... Mu Yang gives off the vibe of..."
She looks at Lumine for help. "Uh... right?"
Lumine takes over. "Soone devoted to martial arts?"
"Yeah, exactly! We thought you usually just drank tea and practiced swordplay..."
"On the way to Wangshu Inn, we were already surprised to find out you cook so well."
"But we never expected you to be this skilled with desserts too!"
Mu Yang doesn't put on the act of so reclusive master,
Spouting nonsense about how he doesn't care for food, only to make excuses for indulging.
He very honestly tells Paimon, "I get cravings too."
Paimon excitedly rubs her little hands. "Hehe, seems like we have this in common!"
Lumine: "Feels like we've gotten to know you a bit more."
Mu Yang uses serving chopsticks to give Lumine one.
"Normally, dessert should be saved for last, but since we're already talking about it, no harm in trying now."
He turns to Paimon. "You can have mine."
"Eh?! Really?!"
Lumine: "It's fine, we can always order more."
Mu Yang: "About that... Mr. Zhongli, these were made by you, right?"
Zhongli nods, explaining that he ran out of high-grade tea leaves at ho and could only make four.
Mu Yang knows that when Zhongli makes sothing, he only uses the finest ingredients.
The amount of top-tier tea leaves needed for four of these probably lasted him a long ti.
"Next ti, I'll have soone send over so more tea leaves."
"I appreciate it, Brother Mu."
By now, Lumine and Paimon are already lost in dessert bliss.
As for the last "Fine Tea, Full Moon" that Zhongli gave up,
Paimon stares at it like a tiger eyeing its prey. Lumine can't take her intense gaze and gives it to her.
Mu Yang says, "Next ti, I'll pick so good tea leaves and make more for you."
"Great, great! You better not go back on your word!"
"And rember, Paimon has a separate stomach for desserts—please make extra."
[Paimon really eats a lot, huh.]
[Any Genshin players wanna try recreating this?]
[Sa, waiting for soone to share the recipe.]
Just as they finish the desserts and are about to start their al,
Tian Tiezi walks onto the stage with a fan in hand.
"Honored guests, today I'd like to continue my tale of Lady Ningguang's 'Jade Chamber.' Would anyone care to listen?"
"Wow, they even have a storyteller here! The atmosphere is amazing."
This is what Zhongli ant by "the praise of the common folk."
Good wine alone isn't enough—the ambiance matters too.
But the "ambiance" here is different from that of high-end restaurants.
The audience below claps, urging Tian Tiezi to begin.
He takes a sip of tea to moisten his throat.
"As you all know, above our harbor lies a palace in the clouds, a dwelling amidst the mist."
"What does it an to have boundless influence? Behold—this is boundless influence."
"This is the transcendent enterprise built by Lady Ningguang."
"When the skies are clear, if you gaze down from the deck outside the palace gates—"
"So impressive! You'll see the scenery of nearly half of Liyue Harbor..."
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